Impossible Dream???

[bigpapi]

May 10,11,12 v Cleveland Indians (18-18)

May 10-Carl Yastrzemski hit a 3 run HR, and Reggie Smith added a solo shot as Boston beat the Indians 5-4. (24-13)
W-Rollie Fingers (2-0) L-Gary Bell (1-4) S-Sparky Lyle (10)

May 11-Boomer Scott hit an 8th inning grand slam, and "Yaz" hit a solo HR as the Sox beat Cleveland again, today 5-2. (25-13)
W-Joe Niekro (2-1) L-Bob Duliba (1-2)

May 12-Tony C. and Boomer Scott each hit 3 run homeruns as Boston completed the sweep of Cleveland, winning 14-3. (26-13)
W-Jim Lonborg (5-3) L-Gary Bell (1-5)

May 13,14,15 v Chicago White Sox (18-18)

May 13-Joe Foy (2), Reggie Smith (9) and Tony C. (18) each homered as Boston took the first game of the series, winning 5-2. (27-13)
W-Dennis Bennett (6-0) L-Jim O'Toole (2-4)

May 14-Tony Conigliaro hit 2 grand slams, driving in 8 for the game, and Lee Stange pitched 7 innings, allowing 2 runs as Boston hammered Chicago 11-2. (28-13)
W-Lee Stange (6-1) L-John Buzhardt (5-3)

May 15-Pete Ward and Ron Hansen each hit homers, as Chicago ended Boston's 8 game winning streak, beating the Sox 5-2. (28-14)
W-Tommy John (5-2) L-Jose Santiago (2-4) S-Aurelio Monteagudo (1)

Around the MLB:
Ken Boyer of the Cincinnati Reds hit his 300th career Homerun

Triple Crown Update:
Tony Conigliaro is hitting .361 (2nd- Micky Mantle .383) with 20 HR's (1st- Carl Yastrzemski 11), and 56 RBI (1st- Frank Howard 38).

Up next for the Sox is 3 at home against the Senators followed by on the West Coast in the new home of the Oakland Athletics.

[bigpapi]

May 17,18,19 v Washington Senators (11-28)

May 17-Tony Conigliaro hit 3 homeruns, driving in 5, and Joe Rudi added 3 hits and 2 RBI as Boston beat the Senators 7-1. (29-14)
W-Jim Lonborg (6-3) L-Dick Bosman (2-4)

May 18-Jim King hit a 3 run HR, and 6 other Senators drove in runs as Washington beat Boston in a 10-9 slugfest. (29-15)
W-Joe Coleman (3-5) L-Dennis Bennett (6-1)

May 19-Boomer Scott and Carl Yastrzemski hit solo HR's and Lee Stange pitched 8 solid innings in a 4-3 Boston win. (30-15)
W-Lee Stange (7-1) L-Bob Priddy (0-3) S-Sparky Lyle (11)

May 22,23,24 at Oakland A's (15-27)

May 22-Rico Petrocelli hit a grand slam in the 12th inning, giving Boston a 7-1 extra innings win. (31-15)
W-Tug McGraw (4-2) L-Howie Reed (2-2)

May 23-Rick Monday hit a 2 run HR in the 1st inning, and 3 Oakland pitchers made it hold up in a 2-1 A's win. (31-16)
W-Dave Morehead (2-3) L-Dennis Bennett (6-2) S-Steve Hamilton (4)

May 24-Catfish Hunter pitched 7 innings of 1 run ball, and Danny Cater hit a 2 run HR as Oakland took 2 of 3 from the Sox winning, 3-1. (31-17)
W-Catfish Hunter (6-4) L-Lee Stange (7-2)

Around the MLB:

A minor deal was struck between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Senators.

Washington sends P Buster Narum
Philadephia sends P Bob Allen C Jimmie Schaefer
Edge Senators as they get 2 mediocre players for 1.

Next for Boston is 3 at home against the Chicago White Sox followed by 3 more in Fenway against the Senators.

[bigpapi]

May 25,26,27 Chicago White Sox (22-26)

May 25-Pinch hitter Don Demeter hit a 1 out homerun off Dennis Higgins, giving Boston a 5-4 win. (32-17)
W-Tug McGraw (5-2) L-Dennis Higgins (0-3)

May 26-Rico Petrocelli homered twice and drove in 4, and Reggie Smith added a 2 run double as Boston beat the White Sox again, today 6-4. (33-17)
W-Rollie Fingers (3-0) L-Steve Jones (1-1) S-Sparky Lyle (12)

May 27-Joe Rudi had 3 hits and 2 RBI, and Jim Lonborg pitched 8 innings of 2 run ball as Boston swept Chicago, winning 5-2. (34-17)
W-Jim Lonborg (7-3) L-John Buzhardt (5-5) S-Sparky Lyle (13)

May 28,29,30 v Washington Senators (15-33)

May 28-Dennis Bennett scattered 8 hits over 9 innings, allowing just 1 run and he was supported by Boomer Scott and his 14th HR of the year in a 4-1 Boston win. (35-17)
W-Dennis Bennett (7-2) L-Joe Sparma (1-5)

May 29-Lee Stange pitched 8 innings, allowing just 1 run and Reggie Smith added a solo shot as Boston beat the Senators, 5-1. (36-17)
W-Lee Stange (8-2) L-Johnny Podres (2-3)

May 30-Washington avoided the sweep, as Dick Green homered and drove in 4 helping the Senators beat Boston 7-5. (36-18)
W-Dick Bosman (3-4) L-Jerry Stephenson (0-2)

Around the MLB:

Joe Rudi has secured a permanent spot in the starting lineup with his solid start. He was expected to be a temporary fix until we could find a veteran, but after hitting .278/.318/.411 with 3 HR's 8 2B's and 2 3B's in 150 AB's, he held his own and will remain with the big club.

Atlanta sends P Don Schwall C Gene Oliver
Oakland sends 3B Rich Rollins C Dave Duncan
Edge Atlanta as they get younger without sacrificing any talent.

Finishing up May and starting June for the Sox is 6 more at home, 3 vs. the Orioles followed by 3 against the Cleveland Indians. The draft falls in between these series and we'll have a recap of that as well!

[bigpapi]

Complete Team Batting Stats As of June 1- (team leaders in bold)

1968 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Gibson, Russ              BOS    2  .375     8    3   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    3    1  .375  .375
Conigliaro, Tony          BOS   50  .345   194   67  10   2  24   22   32    0   0   39   66  .789  .417
Yastrzemski, Carl         BOS   55  .336   217   73  12   2  12   31   28    0   1   41   34  .576  .424
Demeter, Don              BOS   44  .276    58   16   2   0   3    1   12    0   0    8   14  .466  .295
Dietz, Dick               BOS   39  .276   123   34   7   0   3   27   31    0   0   21   15  .407  .407
Scott, George             BOS   55  .275   207   57  12   2  14   26   39    0   0   39   40  .556  .360
Rudi, Joe                 BOS   41  .273   161   44   8   2   3    9   29    0   0   17   14  .404  .312
French, Jim               BOS   15  .271    48   13   2   0   1    8    3    0   0    4    5  .375  .368
Andrews, Mike             BOS   38  .264   125   33   9   0   2   20   17    0   0   18    9  .384  .373
Petrocelli, Rico          BOS   55  .254   209   53  11   0  10   30   37    0   0   27   33  .450  .349
Smith, Reggie             BOS   55  .253   221   56   8   0  10   36   35    9   4   43   28  .425  .360
Thomas, George            BOS    4  .250     4    1   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    0  .250  .250
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS    4  .250     4    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    1  .250  .250
Foy, Joe                  BOS   26  .207    87   18   4   0   2   19   15    4   0   15   11  .322  .343
Tartabull, Jose           BOS   20  .190    21    4   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    1    2  .190  .217
Lonborg, Jim              BOS   12  .167    24    4   0   0   0    1    7    0   0    1    1  .167  .192
Stange, Lee               BOS   12  .167    24    4   0   0   0    3   11    0   0    2    2  .167  .250
Santiago, Jose            BOS    7  .167    12    2   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    1    0  .167  .167
Bennett, Dennis           BOS   12  .091    22    2   0   0   0    3   10    0   0    2    1  .091  .200
Niekro, Joe               BOS    7  .063    16    1   0   0   0    0    6    0   0    0    0  .063  .063
Lyle, Sparky              BOS    0  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
McGraw, Tug               BOS    0  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Fingers, Rollie           BOS    0  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Landis, Bill              BOS    0  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Koosman, Jerry            BOS    1  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000

Complete Team Pitching Stats as of June 1-(team leaders in bold)

1968 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
McGraw, Tug               BOS   40.0  1.80   28   0   5   2   2   31   14 12.38
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   17.2  2.55   19   0   0   1  13   11    1  9.68
Niekro, Joe               BOS   51.0  2.65    8   7   2   2   0   30   14  9.18
Stange, Lee               BOS   88.0  2.76   12  12   8   2   0   53   26  9.72
Lonborg, Jim              BOS   83.0  2.93   12  12   7   3   0   53   28 10.84
Santiago, Jose            BOS   44.0  3.48    7   7   2   4   0   43   22 12.89
Koosman, Jerry            BOS    7.2  3.52    3   1   0   0   0    5    3 14.09
Bennett, Dennis           BOS   81.1  3.76   12  12   7   2   0   51   21  9.85
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   25.2  3.86   21   0   5   2   1   17    5 11.57
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS   25.0  4.32    6   4   0   2   0   15   10 12.60
Landis, Bill              BOS   16.0  7.31   14   0   0   0   0   14   16 19.13
Wyatt, John               BOS   10.2  7.59    9   0   0   0   0   12   10 15.19

[bigpapi]

May 31, June 1,2 v Baltimore Orioles (30-21)

May 31-Jim Palmer pitched a complete game, allowing just 1 unearned run, he gave up just 3 hits while striking out 6 as Baltimore beat Boston 3-1. (36-19)
W-Jim Palmer (6-4) L-Joe Niekro (2-2)

June 1-Boog Powell drove in 2 runs, and pinch hitter Marv Rettemund added an RBI as the Orioles beat Boston, 3-2. (36-20)
W-Moe Drabowsky (5-0) L-Rollie Fingers (3-1) S-Stu Miller (8)

June 2-George Scott hit a 3 run HR, and Tony C. and Don Demeter added solo shots as Boston salvaged the final game of the 3 game series, winning 5-4. (37-20)
W-Dennis Bennett (8-2) L-Fred Beene (1-4) S-Sparky Lyle (14)

June 3,4,5 v Cleveland Indians (25-32)

June 3-Reggie Smith had 2 hits and 3 RBI and Don Demeter added 3 hits and 2 RBI as Boston beat up on Cleveland 10-2. (38-20)
W-Lee Stange (9-2) L-Gary Bell (1-8)

June 4-Mike Andrews had 3 hits, including a homerun leading off the game and Reggie Smith added a 2 run shot as Boston beat Cleveland 5-3. (39-20)
W-Joe Niekro (3-2) L-Bob Duliba (1-5) S-Sparky Lyle (15)

June 5-Rico Petrocelli homered twice, driving in 4, and Tony Conigliaro added his 26th HR of the year, and Jose Santiago pitched 7 shutout innings as the Sox swept the Indians, winning 6-0. (40-20)
W-Jose Santiago (3-4) L-Jack Kralik (3-3)

Up next for Boston is 3 in Oakland against the A's followed by a cross country trip to New York against the Yankees.

Next though is the recap of the 1968 Amateur Draft!

[bigpapi]

1968 Amateur Draft

1- Washington: J.R. Richard (P)
2- Oakland: Manny Trillo (2B)
3- New York (NL): Gary Matthews (LF)
4- Cleveland: Ray Burris (P)
5- St. Louis: Gorman Thomas (CF)
6- Atlanta: Max Leon (P)
7- Pittsburgh: Bruce Kison (P)
8- Chicago (AL): Brian Downing (3B/C)
9- Los Angeles: Rawly Eastwick (P)
10- Cincinnati: Ross Grimsley (P)
11- Chicago (NL): Mike Pazik (P)
12- California: Bruce Botche (1B)
13- Houston: Mike Easler (OF)
14- New York (AL): John Matlack (P)
15- Detroit: Dave Lemanczyk (P)
16- San Fransisco: Greg Luzinksi (LF)
17- Boston: Craig Swan 49/91 (P)--Swan went 21-7 in H.S. with a 2.48 ERA in 40 career starts to go along with a 176/61 K/BB ratio.
18- Baltimore: Doug DeCinces (3B)
19- Minnesota: Lyman Bostock (OF)
20- Philadelphia: Burt Hooten (P)

Other Sox Picks:

2nd Round (37th overall): Frank White 54/78 (2B)-- Hit .410 5-26 in 32 games as a senior. Hit .365 overall in H.S. with 16 HR and 99 RBI in 130 career games.
3rd Round (57th overall): Ron Guidry 49/82 (P)-- 28-8 in H.S. which included a 8-3 2.82 mark as a senior and a 2.52 overall ERA in 4 years with a 319/59 K/BB ratio.
4th Round (77th overall): Juan Beniquez 52/68 (CF)-- Hit .337 in his H.S. career with 12 HR and 87 RBI in 133 games. Also a base stealing threat with 16 swipes in his career.
5th Round (97th overall): Jim Slaton 48/84 (P)-- Went 4-0 1.69 in 8 starts as a senior, to go along with 52 K's in 69 IP's.
6th Round (117th overall): Jim Dwyer 51/64 (RF)-- .337 3-34 as a senior, and .308 6-25 as a junior. Great eye with a career 110/52 BB/K ratio.

[bigpapi]

June 6,7,8 at Oakland A's (22-35)

June 6-Reggie Jackson had 2 hits and 2 RBI, and former Sox pitcher Dave Morehead pitched 7 innings striking out 10 as Oakland beat Boston 4-3. (40-21)
W-Dave Morehead (4-4) L-Jim Lonborg (7-5)

June 7-Rico Petrocelli and Dick Deitz each drove in runs in a 3 run 9th inning, helping Boston come from behind, and win 5-3. (41-21)
W-Tug McGraw (5-2) L-Catfish Hunter (6-7) S-Sparky Lyle (16)

June 8-Bert Campaneris homered and drove in 4 as Oakland took 2 of 3 from Boston, winning 6-3. (41-22)
W-Tony Pierce (2-0) L-Lee Stange (9-3) S-Steve Hamilton (7)

June 10,11,12 v New York Yankees (35-25)

June 10-Rico Petrocell hit a solo HR, and Joe Niekro pitched a complete game, allowing just 3 hits while striking out 5 in a 2-1 Boston win. (42-22)
W-Joe Niekro (4-2) L-Whitey Ford (2-5)

June 11-A 3 run first capped by a 2 run HR by Mickey Mantle, spurred the Yankees to a 6-3 win over the Sox. (42-23)
W-Mel Stottlemyre (10-5) L-Jim Lonborg (7-5) S-John Cumberland (1)

June 12-The Yankees scored 3 runs in the first for the 2nd straight day, and Joe Pepitone homered and drove in 5 as New York beat Boston 9-3. (42-24)
W-Fritz Peterson (9-4) L-Dennis Bennett (8-3)

Around the MLB:

Current Standings:

American League
Boston 42-24
New York 37-26 3.5
Baltimore 36-26 4.0
California 33-28 6.5
Minnesota 32-29 7.5
Detroit 32-32 9.0
Chicago 27-36 13.5
Cleveland 28-37 13.5
Oakland 25-39 16.0
Washington 24-29 16.5

National League
Philadelphia 40-24
Houston 40-27 1.5
Cincinnati 37-27 3.0
San Fransisco 33-28 5.5
Los Angeles 32-29 6.5
Chicago 31-33 9.0
Pittsburgh 31-33 9.0
Atlanta 30-34 10.0
St. Louis 25-42 16.5
New York 21-42 21.0

Up next for Boston is 3 more at home against the Yankees followed by a trip to Chicago to face the Pale Hose.

[bigpapi]

June 14,15,16 v New York Yankees (37-26)

June 14-Mel Stottlemyre pitched a complete game shutout, beating Boston for the 2nd time in 4 days. Joe Pepitone, Frank Howard, and Lu Clinton homered in the 4-0 Yankee win. (42-25)
W-Mel Stottlemyre (11-5) L-Lee Stange (9-4)

June 15-Joe Pepitone hit 2 homeruns, driving in 3, and Frank Howard added a 2 run shot, as the Yankees beat Boston again, today 6-5. (42-26)
W-Thad Tollitson (3-2) L-Tug McGraw (6-3)

June 16-Reggie Smith hit a leadoff homerun off closer Jack Aker in the bottom of the 9th giving Boston one game in the 3 game series with a 7-6 win. (43-26)
W-Sparky Lyle (1-1) L-Jack Aker (0-1)

June 18,19,20 at Chicago White Sox (29-37)

June 18-Tony C. homered twice and drove in 5, and Reggie Smith added a pair of solo shots as Boston blasted Chicago 10-0. (44-26)
W-Dennis Bennett (9-6) L-Jim O'Toole (2-8)

June 19-Reggie Smith continued his power surge with 2 more homeruns, and 3 RBI, and Rico Petrocelli added a pair of RBI as Boston beat up on Chicago 8-5. (45-26)
W-Lee Stange (10-4) L-John Buzhardt (6-6)

June 20-J.C. Martin drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 8th with a single, helping Chicago avoid the sweep with a 5-4 win. (45-27)
W-Bob Locker (1-2) L-Bill Landis (0-1)

Around the MLB:

Reggie Smith's line for his last 5 games: .523 (11-21) 7 HR's 9 RBI 10 runs 4/1 BB/K ratio. Hopefuly this is him breaking out of his season long slump.

Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies has gotten off to a tremendous start goin 12-2 with a 1.37 ERA in 18 starts. He's only given up 91 hits in 144 2/3 innings while sporting a 104/44 K/BB ratio.

Up next for Boston is 3 in Baltimore against the Orioles followed by 3 back in Chicago against the White Sox again.

[Josh Hamilton#1]

hey bigpapi, rookie dynasty writer looking for veterans help... I just started my dynasty and when i input stats they look horrible, the numbers correlating to the stats are hard to tell, just wondering how you put yours in, do you use a specific program? my html code is off, i was wondering if that could be the problem, would appreciate the help, thanks!

[bigpapi]

June 21,22,23 at Baltimore Orioles (42-27)

June 21-Frank and Brooks Robinson each drove in 3 runs, as Baltimore beat the Red Sox 6-4. (45-28)
W-Fred Beene (2-4) L-Sparky Lyle (1-2)

June 22-Tony Conigliaro hit a 2 run HR, and Mike Andrews and Reggie Smith added solo shots as Boston evened the series at a game a piece, winning 5-3. (46-28)
W-Jim Lonborg (8-5) L-Steve Barber (8-6) S-Sparky Lyle (17)

June 23-George Smith hit a 3 run HR in the top of the 9th, capping an 8 run inning, which also had Stu Miller blowing his first save in almost 2 years in a 9-5 Boston win. (47-28)
W-Dennis Bennett (10-3) L-Stu Miller (2-1) S-Sparky Lyle (18)

June 24,25,26 at Chicago White Sox (32-40)

June 24-Carl Yastrzemski had a pair of RBI and Lee Stange pitched 7 innings of 1 run ball as Boston beat Chicago 6-1. (48-28)
W-Lee Stange (11-4) L-Joe Horlen (2-3)

June 25-Tommy John scattered 7 hits, as he pitched a complete game shutout, and Bill Robinson had a homer and 4 RBI as Chicago blanked Boston 6-0. (48-29)
W-Tommy John (9-5) L-Jerry Stephenson (0-3)

June 26-A 6 run 11th inning, capped by a 3 run boomer Scott homerun, gave Boston two of three, winning 9-3. (49-29)
W-Tug McGraw (7-3) L-Dennis Higgins (0-5)

Around the MLB:

The Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies have come to terms on a deal that sent P Billy Rohr, P Rick Kreuger, and 2B Davey Lopes to Philly for 21 year old 3B Don Money. Money was hitting .363 5-63 at AAA and moves right into the Sox lineup allowing Boston to move George Scott back to 1B, and Carl Yastrzemski back to LF. Joe Rudi will go back to AAA to work on his pitch selection.

Up next for Boston, ending June and leading into July is 3 in the Bronx to face the Yankees followed by 3 at home against the Baltimore Orioles.

[bigpapi]

Complete Team Batting Stats Thru June 30-(team leaders in bold)

1968 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Gibson, Russ              BOS   13  .340    47   16   2   0   0    2   10    0   0    5    2  .383  .367
Conigliaro, Tony          BOS   73  .340   282   96  15   2  29   34   47    0   1   51   83  .716  .415
McGraw, Tug               BOS    0  .333     3    1   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    0    0  .333  .500
Yastrzemski, Carl         BOS   82  .320   316  101  21   2  14   49   42    2   2   56   54  .532  .412
Smith, Reggie             BOS   82  .282   333   94  14   1  22   49   48   11   8   68   52  .529  .376
Demeter, Don              BOS   68  .279   111   31   4   0   7    4   18    0   0   17   23  .505  .319
Andrews, Mike             BOS   65  .271   229   62  16   0   4   42   28    0   0   40   16  .393  .388
Scott, George             BOS   82  .268   313   84  16   4  20   35   60    0   0   54   58  .537  .346
Rudi, Joe                 BOS   46  .265   181   48  10   2   3   12   31    0   0   19   15  .392  .311
Petrocelli, Rico          BOS   82  .252   313   79  16   0  16   42   48    0   0   40   47  .457  .342
French, Jim               BOS   23  .247    77   19   2   0   1   10    6    0   0    6    8  .312  .330
Dietz, Dick               BOS   48  .235   153   36   7   0   3   32   35    0   0   23   17  .340  .368
Santiago, Jose            BOS    8  .200    15    3   0   0   0    0    4    0   0    1    0  .200  .200
Tartabull, Jose           BOS   28  .189    37    7   2   0   0    2    6    1   0    3    2  .243  .244
Foy, Joe                  BOS   44  .182   110   20   4   0   2   23   21    4   0   18   13  .273  .319
Money, Don                BOS    4  .167    12    2   0   0   0    3    3    0   1    1    1  .167  .375
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS    6  .167     6    1   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    1  .167  .167
Stange, Lee               BOS   18  .143    35    5   0   0   0    8   14    0   0    4    4  .143  .289
Lonborg, Jim              BOS   17  .111    36    4   0   0   0    2   12    0   0    2    1  .111  .154
Thomas, George            BOS   11  .083    24    2   1   0   0    1    9    0   0    2    0  .125  .120
Bennett, Dennis           BOS   18  .077    39    3   0   0   0    3   15    0   0    2    1  .077  .143
Niekro, Joe               BOS   13  .065    31    2   0   0   0    1   13    0   0    0    1  .065  .094
Lee, Bill                 BOS    1  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    1    0  .000  .000
Lyle, Sparky              BOS    0  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Fingers, Rollie           BOS    0  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Landis, Bill              BOS    0  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Koosman, Jerry            BOS    1  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000

Complete Team Pitching Stats thru June 30-(team leaders in bold)

1968 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
McGraw, Tug               BOS   59.1  1.97   39   0   7   3   2   45   23 11.83
Stange, Lee               BOS  131.2  2.73   18  18  11   4   0   80   42 10.18
Santiago, Jose            BOS   52.0  2.94    8   8   3   4   0   51   23 11.94
Niekro, Joe               BOS   94.0  3.16   14  13   4   3   0   56   29  9.77
Bennett, Dennis           BOS  125.1  3.38   18  18  11   3   0   75   32  9.91
Lonborg, Jim              BOS  118.2  3.41   17  17   8   5   0   76   44 11.53
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   25.2  3.51   28   0   1   2  18   14    6 11.57
Koosman, Jerry            BOS    7.2  3.52    3   1   0   0   0    5    3 14.09
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS   36.0  3.75    9   6   0   3   0   23   16 13.25
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   38.1  4.23   32   0   5   4   1   29    7 11.03
Landis, Bill              BOS   21.0  7.29   18   0   0   1   0   19   19 18.00
Wyatt, John               BOS   14.1  8.16   12   0   0   0   0   14   17 19.47
Lee, Bill                 BOS    5.0 10.80    1   1   0   1   0    6    2 14.40

[bigpapi]

June 27,28,29 at New York Yankees (42-30)

June 27-Frank Howard homered twice and drove in 3, and Mickey Mantle added a pair of RBI as New York beat Boston 6-3. (49-30)
W-John Matlack (1-0) L-Bill Lee (0-1) S-Dooley Womack (3)

June 28-Carl Yastrzemski hit a 3 run HR in the first, and Dennis Bennett made it stand up, allowing just 1 run in 7 innings as Boston beat the Yanks 6-1. (50-30)
W-Dennis Bennett (11-3) L-Whitey Ford (2-7)

June 29-6 Different Yankees drove in runs, as New York came back form a 4-1 defecit to beat Boston 6-5. (50-31)
W-Dooley Womack (8-5) L-Rollie Fingers (3-2)

June 30, July 1,2 v Baltimore Orioles (46-29)

June 30-Former Sox Bob Tillman hit a 3 run HR off Joe Niekro capping a comeback that had Baltimore down 4-0, and ended with the Orioles winning 5-4. (50-32)
W-Gene Brabender (1-0) L-Joe Niekro (4-3) S-Moe Drabowski (3)

July 1-Mike Andrews and Don Demeter had 2 RBI, and Rico Petrocelli added a solo HR as Boston beat Baltimore 5-2. (51-32)
W-Jose Santiago (4-4) L-Jim Hannan (3-2) S-Sparky Lyle (19)

July 2-Rookie Bill Lee outdueled reigning Cy Young winner Jim Palmer for 8 innings, but Tug McGraw couldn't maintain it, as Brooks Robinson hit a 2 run double in the top of the 9th giving Baltimore a 2-0 win.(51-33) Boxscore below:
W-Moe Drabowski (8-0) L-Tug McGraw (7-4)

Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox
July 2, 1968

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Orioles (BAL) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2    2  5  0
       Red Sox (BOS) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0    0  3  0

BALTIMORE            ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
L. Aparicio (SS)      3  0  1  0  0  0  0  1    .285
P. Blair (CF)         3  0  1  1  0  0  0  1    .255
D. Johnson (2B)       3  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .308
F. Robinson (RF)      3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .271
C. Blefary (LF)       3  1  1  1  0  0  0  0    .259
B. Robinson (3B)      4  1  0  0  0  2  0  0    .314
M. Epstein (1B)       3  1  1  0  0  0  1  0    .296
 B. Johnson (P)       0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .239
B. Tillman (C)        3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .211
J. Palmer (P)         2  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .119
 M. Rettenmund (P)    1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .286
 M. Drabowsky (P)     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               28  5  5  2  0  2  4  2

   2B:  B. Robinson (25), C. Blefary (9)
   GIDP:  B. Tillman 2
   CS:  L. Aparicio

       BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       J. Palmer  7.0  3  3  0  0  0  4  94   2.55
    M. Drabowsky  2.0  0  1  0  0  0  2  25   3.91
          TOTALS  9.0  3  4  0  0  0  6 119

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
M. Andrews (2B)       3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .271
R. Smith (CF)         4  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .282
C. Yastrzemski (LF)   2  0  2  0  0  0  1  0    .315
G. Scott (1B)         4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .266
R. Petrocelli (SS)    3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .253
D. Money (3B)         3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .158
D. Demeter (RF)       3  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .274
J. French (C)         2  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .241
B. Lee (P)            2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 J. Foy (P)           1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .180
 T. McGraw (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .333
TOTALS               27  3  4  0  0  0  6  0

   GIDP:  G. Scott, R. Petrocelli
   CS:  R. Smith

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
          B. Lee  8.0  4  3  0  0  0  2  94   4.15
       T. McGraw  1.0  1  2  0  2  2  2  29   2.18
          TOTALS  9.0  5  5  0  2  2  4 123

     WP: M. Drabowsky (8-0)
     LP: T. McGraw (7-4)

     Temperature: 65F
     Wind: 9 MPH (left to right)
     Attendance: 33,375
     Time: 2:27

Up next for Boston leading into the All-Star break is a 3 game set in Minnesota against the Twins, followed by the break!

[bigpapi]

July 3,4,5 at Minnesota Twins (43-38)

July 3-Mike Andrews homered and drove in 3 and Carl Yastrzemski added 3 RBI as Boston held off Minnesota 9-8 after leading 8-0 through 4. (52-33)
W-Lee Stange (12-4) L-Dave Boswell (1-1) S-Sparky Lyle (20)

July 4-Carl Yastrzemski went 4-5 with 3 HR's and 5 RBI, and Tony C. added a solo shot as Boston won another wild one, this time 16-7 over the Twins. (53-33)
W-Dennis Bennett (12-3) L-Dean Chance (9-7)

July 5-In the end of the wildest series of the year, Boston, who was trailing 7-2 after 6 innings exploded for 10 runs in the last 3 innings to sweep the Twins 12-10. The offense was powered by George Scott and Carl Yastrzemski, who each had 3 RBI. Yaz went 8-15 with 2 HR's and 11 RBI in the series. (54-33)
W-Tug McGraw (8-4) L-Jim Roland (6-4) S-Sparky Lyle (21)

All-Star Break:

1968 Home Run Derby

2 Red Sox entered the Derby, Reggie Smith and Tony Conigliaro, but just Tony C. made it out of the 1st round. However his run would end there as Boog Powell won the derby over Eddie Mathews, outhomering him 3-2 in the final round. Complete results below:

1968 Home Run Showdown

FIRST ROUND (10 Outs)

PLAYER                          HOMERS
Willie McCovey (SFG)                 8
Boog Powell (BAL)                    7
Tony Conigliaro (BOS)                6
Eddie Mathews (HOU)                  5
Frank Howard (NYY)                   4
Reggie Smith (BOS)                   4
Mickey Mantle (NYY)                  4
Ron Santo (CHC)                      4
Hank Aaron (ATL)                     2
Tony Perez (CIN)                     2

SECOND ROUND (5 Outs)

PLAYER                          HOMERS
Boog Powell (BAL)                    3
Eddie Mathews (HOU)                  2
Tony Conigliaro (BOS)                1
Willie McCovey (SFG)                 1

FINAL ROUND (5 Outs)

PLAYER                          HOMERS
BOOG POWELL (BAL)                    3
Eddie Mathews (HOU)                  2

     WINNER: Boog Powell

1968 All Star Game

Red Sox pitchers had it rough in this game as all 9 National League runs scored were off of Boston pitchers in the 9-3 N.L. win. Hank Aaron was named the game's MVP going 3-4 with a HR and 3 RBI. Tony C. was the only Red Sox player named a starter, going 1-4 with a solo HR. Reggie Smith went 1-1. Lee Stange pitched an inning, allowing 5 hits and 4 runs, while Dennis Bennett allowed 5 unearned runs in his 1 inning of work. Tug McGraw was named to the team but did not see any action. Boxscore below:

American League All Stars at National League All Stars
July 10, 1968

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
      All Stars (AL) 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0    3  8  1
      All Stars (NL) 0 0 5 0 0 4 0 0 x    9 11  1

AMERICAN LEAGUE      ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
M. Mantle (CF)        4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .336
D. Johnson (2B)       4  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .311
F. Howard (LF)        4  1  0  1  1  2  1  0    .308
T. Conigliaro (RF)    4  1  0  1  1  1  1  0    .336
B. Powell (1B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .302
B. Freehan (C)        4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .265
B. Robinson (3B)      4  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .315
J. Fregosi (SS)       4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .252
 A. Kaline (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .294
 R. Smith (P)         1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .286
 M. Stanley (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .251
TOTALS               35  8  0  3  2  3  5  0

   2B:  J. Fregosi
   HR:  T. Conigliaro, F. Howard
   GIDP:  F. Howard

                   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       C. Hunter  2.0  1  1  0  0  0  0  25   3.26
      D. Bennett  1.0  5  0  1  5  0  2  46   3.49
         T. John  2.0  0  0  0  0  0  3  22   2.23
       L. Stange  1.0  5  1  1  4  4  1  33   3.00
       J. Roland  2.0  0  0  0  0  0  1  28   3.83
          TOTALS  8.0 11  2  2  9  4  7 154

NATIONAL LEAGUE      ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Morgan (2B)        5  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .284
T. McCarver (C)       4  1  0  0  0  2  0  0    .332
W. Mays (CF)          4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .253
W. McCovey (1B)       4  1  0  1  0  2  0  0    .295
H. Aaron (RF)         4  3  0  2  1  3  0  0    .300
R. Colavito (LF)      3  2  1  1  1  2  0  0    .309
E. Mathews (3B)       3  0  1  1  0  0  1  0    .248
D. Maxvill (SS)       4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .215
 J. Torre (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .305
 R. Clemente (P)      1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .312
 V. Pinson (P)        1  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .327
 T. Perez (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .360
TOTALS               35 11  2  9  2  9  7  0

   2B:  H. Aaron, W. McCovey, R. Colavito
   HR:  H. Aaron, R. Colavito
   GIDP:  E. Mathews

                   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       C. Osteen  3.0  1  0  1  1  1  2  36   3.17
      J. Bunning  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  1  10   1.40
        G. Perry  2.0  3  0  1  2  2  2  35   2.84
       B. O'Dell  2.0  4  0  0  0  0  0  24   1.74
         D. Hall  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  0  16   1.84
          TOTALS  9.0  8  0  2  3  3  5 121

     WP: C. Osteen
     LP: D. Bennett

     Temperature: 86F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 44,500
     Time: 2:45

Coming out of the break for the Sox with a fully healed team for the first time in 2 months is 3 games in the Bronx against the Yankees followed by 3 in Chicago against the White Sox.

[bigpapi]

July 12,13,14 at New York Yankees (49-32)

July 12-5 different Yankees had RBI, and Frank Howard had a solo HR as New York beat Boston 5-4. (54-34)
W-John Cumberland (1-0) L-Sparky Lyle (1-3)

July 13-Mel Stottlemyre won his 15th game, pitching 8 2/3 innings, allowing just 2 runs as the Yanks beat the Sox again, today 4-2. (54-35)
W-Mel Stottlemyre (15-5) L-Tug McGraw (8-5) S-Jack Aker (15)

July 14-Pinch hitter Roy White had a 2 run single, as the Yankees swept Boston, winning 3-2. (54-36)
W-Fritz Peterson (11-6) L-Lee Stange (12-5)

July 18,19,20 at Chicago White Sox (37-50)

July 18-Carl Yastrzemski had a 2 run double, and Tony Conigliaro hit a solo HR as Boston beat Chicago 6-2. (55-36)
W-Jim Lonborg (9-5) L-Aurelio Monteagudo (0-1) S-Tug McGraw (3)

July 19-Joe Niekro pitched 7 shutout innings, and Tony C. knocked in two with a double as Boston blanked Chicago 6-0. (56-36)
W-Joe Niekro (5-3) L-Jim O'Toole (4-10)

July 20-Mike Hershberger hit a 2 run HR, and Tommy John pitched 7 2/3 solid innings as Chicago avoided the sweep, beating Boston 4-3. (56-37)
W-Tommy John (11-6) L-Lee Stange (12-6) S-Bob Locker (4)

Around the MLB:
Washington and San Fransisco have come to terms on two separate trades this week:
Washington sends 2B Dick Green
San Fransisco sends LF Curtis Brown
Edge Washington as Brown is a real solid outfield prospect, with 85+ power and contact potential.

Washington sends P Dick Bosman
San Fransisco sends LF Jake Brown P Steve Stone
Edge San Fransisco here as Bosman becomes their 4th starter, but he's only 24, so lots of room for improvement as he's already rated an 84.

Up next for Boston is 3 in Oakland against the A's followed by a cross country trip to face off against the Washington Senators.

[bigpapi]

July 21,22,23 at Oakland A's (42-51)

July 21-Boomer Scott and Rico Petrocelli each homered and drove in 3, as Boston beat up on the A's 10-4. (57-37)
W-Dennis Bennett (13-3) L-Catfish Hunter (10-11)

July 22-Mike Andrews hit a 2 run double in the top of the 9th off closer Steve Hamilton as Boston beat Oakland 2-1. (58-37)
W-Tug McGraw (9-5) L-Steve Hamilton (1-1)

July 23-Carl Yastrzemski had 3 hits and 2 RBI and George Scott added a solo HR as Boston completed the sweep of the A's winning 5-3. (59-37)
W-Jim Lonborg (10-5) L-Blue Moon Odom (8-5) S-Sparky Lyle (23)

July 24,25,26 at Washington Senators (37-56)

July 24-Reggie Smith homered and drove in 3, and Tony C. added his 32nd HR of the year, a solo shot as Boston beat the Senators 10-2. (60-37)
W-Lee Stange (13-6) L-Joe Sparma (2-8)

July 25-Carl Yastrzemski hit his 18th HR of the year, a 2 run shot in the first inning, and Rico Petrocelli added his 19th, a solo shot in the 8th as Boston held off Washington 3-1. (61-37)
W-Dennis Bennett (14-3) L-Bo Belinsky (2-3) S-Sparky Lyle (24)

July 26-George Scott hit a 3 run HR, his 23rd, and Rico Petrocelli added a 2 run double as Boston won their 6th in a row, beating the Senators 7-6. (62-37)
W-Jose Santiago (5-4) L-Pete Richert (7-8) S-Sparky Lyle (25)

Around the MLB:

We received a phone call from Cleveland Indians owner Vernon Stouffer (owner of the Stouffer's food giant) with a very intriguing offer. He wanted to send me Luis Tiant in exchange for minor league lefthander Jerry Koosman and our closer Sparky Lyle. That was just a bit too much talent to give up, but I was listening. We countered and then he asked for Bill Lee instead of Lyle, but Lee is untouchable. We gave Stouffer a list of prospects that were available and were able to come to an agreement. Boston sends Koosman, P Bill Landis, P P Ed Phillips, and P P Craig Skok to Cleveland in exchange for Luis Tiant.

Koosman was 5-3 with a 3.03 ERA in 18 starts in AAA, but we had to give up talent to get talent in return. Landis really struggled with his control this year, going 0-1 7.83 22/20 BB/K ratio thusfar. Skok and Phillips are both "A" ball prospects. Coming to Boston, Tiant was 7-11 with a 3.71 ERA for the last place Indians. He has a career record of 50-51 3.35 ERA in 164 games, including 120 starts. His debut will come at home against the Detroit Tigers.

We have also gotten offers for Catfish Hunter from the Oakland A's, and Tommy John from the Chicago White Sox for either Bill Lee, Sparky Lyle, or a combination of the two, and have turned them down. So unless something drastic changes, this is the team to take us to the playoffs.

Up next for Boston leading into August is a 3 game set at home against the Detroit Tigers followed by 3 in Washington to play the Senators.